


A Special Connection

by Serenityyyy



Series: Dreamcatcher [2]
Category: Love Live! School Idol Project
Genre: Catch My Dreams, F/F, Light Angst, Post-Break Up, Prequel, Read after main story's chapter 15, Set 4 years before the main story, Side-Story, Side-Story 1
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-23
Updated: 2018-06-23
Packaged: 2019-05-27 09:54:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15022073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Serenityyyy/pseuds/Serenityyyy
Summary: Still bearing the pain of a devastating break-up roughly a year ago, Nozomi finds herself inside a cafe in front of a young man who was so concerned with a stranger.Or how Nozomi met her baby brother, Kohiro.





	A Special Connection

**Author's Note:**

> Good day!
> 
> As celebration for the 1st Anniversary of my multi-chaptered fic Catch My Dreams, here is side story no. 1 aka Nozomi meets Hiro-kun!
> 
> This is an important side story since it answers the confusion of how the hell did Nozomi have a younger brother and so. A drawing of Hiro-kun is posted on my twitter so you can look for that in case you forgot how he looks like lol anyway I hope you enjoy reading and more ramblings on the end notes...

Nozomi walked up the stairs that led to the shrine with a heavy heart. It wasn't that she didn't like going there, it was just... well, she had been feeling like that for the past months, or maybe year.  
  
She still couldn't believe that the love of her life, her sunshine, had left her. That last break-up still hadn't fully sunk in her mind just yet, but it sure did leave her feeling devastated and empty. It was like her world crushed then and there, crumbling into little pieces much like how her heart did.  
  
The more steps she took, the more her stomach would feel like turning and churning and burning inside her. Ever since that day, she would go to the shrine more often than usual, trying to ease her mind... and maybe in hopes that she would be so lucky to see her again. But then, it was of no use. Yes, she would leave the place with a calmer heart, but she would break again once she reached her... apartment, realizing that she's alone.  
  
She was alone, wasn't she? No more good morning and good night messages, no more warmth to envelope her in the colder days and winter nights, no more encouraging words to help her get through college, no more colors to brighten her world...  
  
And most of all, no more Elichi.  
  
She shook her head as she reached the top of the stairs. "I should forget her," she told herself, knowing full well that that was an impossible task to do. Nevertheless, she wasn't going to go home now and lock herself in her room to cry. She was going to pray for guidance and ace her final exams later...  
  
...was what she thought, until it poured down heavily after she left the shrine. Had lady luck gotten tired of her and forsaken her already? Of all the times it would rain, did it have to be today when she didn't bring any umbrella? She protected her school bag, containing all her paperworks and reviewers, with all her might, clutching it close to herself; all while looking for the nearest place to take shelter. Luckily, there was a cafe nearby and she ran for it.  
  
She immediately sat at the nearest booth and put her bag on the table, inspecting if any of her things got wet. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw that they were all safe.  
  
A hand suddenly touching her shoulder made her flinch and turn around. When she did, she was welcomed by the sight of a tall young man with the same hair and eye color with her. His long hair was tied up into a small bun and he wore a barista's outfit. Was he working here? And for some reason, he looked kind of familiar. Had she seen him before?  
  
"Ah, I'm sorry," he said when he noticed that she was startled. He held out a small towel for her and continued, "you should take care of yourself too, not just your things."  
  
Nozomi hesitantly accepted the towel, but the moment their hands brushed against each other, she felt... something. She wasn't sure what it was and so she looked up and gazed at him straight in the eye. And she knew it. There was something with this man. She couldn't pinpoint it but she knew there was. And the man knew it too, if both of his eyebrows raising was any indication. "Thank you," she muttered. She started to dry herself with the cloth and thought the man would leave but he didn't.  
  
"I also have some meds for colds if you want," he offered. "Ah, I'm sorry, am I intruding? Talking too much?" He looked uneasy.  
  
A small smile escaped her lips and she shook her head. "No, it's alright. Thank you, but I'll be fine," she assured him.  
  
"Okay then," he nodded, "just tell me or any of us here if you need something alright? I'll be over there," he pointed to the direction of the counter.  
  
With one last nod, the young man went back to the said counter.  
  
"So there still really are nice people," Nozomi thought to herself, "besides Nicochi." She continued to wipe herself in silence until she panicked when she remembered she still had a final exam to go to. Just as she was about to unlock her phone to check the time, it rang. It was Nico. Speak of the devil, eh? It was a text message and she read,

 **Nicochi: Where are you? I saw on the internet that your school's canceled today's classes. You should go home soon, it's raining so hard. Did you bring an umbrella? Text me if you need to be picked up.**  
  
Nozomi smiled sincerely at her friend's concern. She guessed she was still lucky to have Nico as her friend, even though her remarks were always sharp. She really was thankful for her, but that didn't mean her guilt would subside. She was feeling bad that she couldn't bring herself to be okay again, even with all of Nico's help and care.  
  
She sent a text back to her saying where she's at and told her that she would be going home as soon as the rain stopped and didn't need to be picked up. She then looked outside but saw no signs of the rain letting up. She turned to the counter and guessed she might as well drink something while waiting and maybe study too.  
  
So she made her way towards the counter and saw the young man from earlier. He was wearing a small smile that gave off hospitality. "What would you like, miss?" he asked.  
  
"An espresso please," said Nozomi, "the strong one."  
  
This earned a raising brow from the man and a look of disbelief. "Really? Why would someone like you drink something so strong?" he asked.  
  
"Yes, really," answered Nozomi, "it's okay, I'm used to it already." By 'used to it', she meant that she just had a first taste of it a few months back and forced herself to drink it whenever she had to pull an all-nighter for school purposes.  
  
"Okay then," the young man didn't pry any further, "an espresso, coming right up!" He then turned his back from Nozomi and began preparing her drink.  
  
An hour passed and Nozomi was still reading from her book with the rain still pouring. She didn't really mind though, the cafe was quiet and somewhat empty with only one or two more customers than herself.  
  
Her shoulders were stiffening but she didn't give it any attention. She was more or less 'used to it' already too. Someone decided to give it some though.  
  
"Shouldn't you rest for a bit?" she heard a voice from her side. Facing it, there was the young man again, this time with a broom in his hand. He gave her a smile and said, "you've been studying for the past hour, aren't you tired?"  
  
"I'm perfectly fine," Nozomi replied, blinking her eyes.  
  
"See, you're already hurting your eyes. I have my contacts on right now but I normally wear glasses, and I tell you, it's not so nice to have bad eyesight." He chuckled. "You should take care of your eyes before it's too late."  
  
Nozomi sighed and put her book down. Seriously, what was it with this man and why was he so concerned over a stranger? She took a good look at the pin on the man's chest to read his name. "Tokura-san," she said, "I assure you I'm alright. I've been doing this the past year." She didn't really want to come off as rude, but she also wasn't really in the mood to have a chat with a stranger.  
  
"See, isn't that really unhealthy? You shouldn't take your health for granted, you know?" His face was serious, but soft at the same time. Why was he so stubborn?  
  
"Okay, okay," Nozomi gave in. "I'll take a break for a while." Hearing this made the young man's eyes lit up and she didn't understand why.  
  
She soon understood though, as she visited the cafe more and got to meet him more. She learned a lot about the young man, including the fact that he was two years younger than her. He was from the province who moved in Tokyo for college. He was working at the cafe part-time so he could have some extra savings.  
  
He said he didn't like seeing people pushing themselves so much to the point that it got unhealthy. That was because his grandmother died from that very reason. He also told her about how he was only adopted and hadn't seen his real parents even once. "It wasn't so bad though," he said. His foster family loved and treated him like their own and his parents, who were apparently his real aunt and uncle, didn't void him of any information about his real ones. They even showed him a photo of them, and that's where he knew that his father had long hair so he grew his own long too, in honor of him.  
  
"Aren't you mad at them?" Nozomi asked him.  
  
"No," he answered. "I understand why they had to do that. Their jobs were hard and they also have my older sister to take care of and another child would be too much for them."  
  
Nozomi felt a pang of sadness in her heart at his story. She knew how lonely it felt not having your parents at your side whenever you needed them. She somehow could relate to him and wondered if that was the reason why she was fine with conversing with him. Maybe it was that something that she felt when they first met. She was sure it wasn't attraction nor love though. But she knew there was a connection between them, and a familiar one. She just really couldn't put her finger on what it was.  
  
"It would be nice if I could meet them though," was Kohiro's last remark before talking about other things.  
  
\--  
  
About a month after Nozomi made a new friend in Kohiro, the young woman woke up from her 'usual' nightmare. Beads of sweat rolled down her forehead and tears were falling from her eyes. Her head ached terribly and she just wished for this to be over.  
  
She took her phone and saw the date. More tears escaped and quiet sobs echoed in the room. She clearly remembered what day it was. It was exactly one year after Eli had left her. Maybe that's why her nightmare was worse that morning.  
  
She hated herself for not being able to move on. She was just too precious for her to forget. She just couldn't let go of her that easily. How Eli did that was a wonder for her. Was she that meaningless in the blonde's life? Was she really not enough?  
  
For a few minutes, she just laid there, crying her heart out, not caring for anything in the world but her agony.  
  
Then her phone rang but she ignored it. However, it kept ringing and ringing so she reluctantly picked it up.  
  
"Hello, Nozomi?" It was her mother, her tone as gentle as ever. She just hummed a response, not trusting her voice to give a proper answer.  
  
"Guess what," her father chimed in, "we're at the airport here in Manila and we'll be home in a few hours!"  
  
A small hope glinted in her at the news. She breathed deeply and said, "that's great! I'll be waiting for you then..."  
  
Maybe this day wouldn't be that bad after all...  
  
...or it would.  
  
Nozomi panicked as she heard the tv news mention something about a plane crash. She immediately checked its details on the internet and her heart sank when she realized that the plane that crashed was indeed from Manila and the one that her parents were on.  
  
The next thing she knew, she was at the funeral of her own parents. She didn't know what to do. What was even the point of living anymore? She was so shattered, wrecked, broken.  
  
Every single night she would cry herself to sleep, wondering why all these had to happen to her. Did she do anything wrong to deserve this much pain? How could she stop this? Could she even? Or would she be absorbed by the darkness that clouded her?  
  
And then something came. A new purpose, a new will.  
  
It was the day of her parents' burial. She was at the cemetery with Nico and her siblings. She was trying too hard to put on a strong front. She was trying too hard to not break down.  
  
She felt a familiar touch to her shoulder. She turned and felt that something again. In front of her was Kohiro, who looked as shocked as him.  
  
"Kohiro-kun..?" A tear unknowingly dropped from her eye.  
  
"Nozomi-san? Wha-do you know my parents?" the man asked.  
  
Nozomi's and Nico's eyes widened. "Your... parents? It's the burial of _my_ parents?" At this point, they were very confused. They didn't know what he was talking about.  
  
A lady came from Kohiro's side and approached Nozomi. "Are you Nozomi Toujou?" she asked.  
  
Nozomi only weakly nodded. She didn't have energy to keep going on anymore. What in the world was happening?  
  
"I'm your father's sister," the lady said. "I'm sorry we only showed up today, it was hard for me to find you. Kohiro is your brother, Nozomi."

"Eh?" Nozomi and Kohiro chorused.  
  
"Your parents left him to me as soon as he was born. They couldn't take care of him because you were still little and you needed to move around a lot. I'm really sorry for keeping you this..." the lady took Nozomi's hand and looked at her sincerely. "They wanted you to meet him as soon as they get home but..." she looked away.  
  
So that's what it was. That's the connection they both felt with each other. They were siblings after all. She still wasn't alone after all.  
  
"Your papa planned for Kohiro to move in with you so you can be a family... they wanted you to look after and guide him. I'm getting old after all and I want him to be with his real family..."  
  
Nozomi turned to Kohiro who was then having an emotional chaos within him. More tears spilled and she looked back at the woman.  
  
"But that was before they got into this accident... Would you still be willing to accept Kohiro into your home?"  
  
And that's where she found it.  
  
A new purpose to live for. A new ray of light and joy. A new bond. A new beginning.  
  
All in the form of his stubborn baby brother.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Ahhh I can't believe it's already been a year since I started writing fics... it's been a really fun time with you guys and I reaaally reaaally thank you all for all the love and support you gave me. I'm also very sorry for all the delayed chapters... but then thank you again for always understanding. Seriously, you guys are so nice so I do my best to deliver the best that I can thru fics.
> 
> Looooovelots!! <3
> 
> (possibly more ramblings when I update the main story which may or may not be tomorrow)


End file.
